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Some Iowa Republican lawmakers say that while the party opposes marriage rights for same-sex couples, it is shifting its focus away from the issue. Iowa Republicans have failed several times to amend the state constitution to make it illegal for same-sex couples to marry. Marriage equality victories in other states and lawmakers' personal interactions with gay and lesbian friends and family may have contributed to the Iowa GOP softening its stance on the issue, advocates say.

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A group of Senate Republicans led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would seek to prevent the federal government from enforcing its definition of marriage in states that do not recognize marriage equality. Under the bill, same-sex spouses living in states that don't recognize their marriages would be barred from accessing federal benefits. "[W]e should reject attempts by the Obama administration to force same-sex marriage on all 50 states," Cruz said.

Persuading Republican lawmakers and voters to back marriage rights for same-sex couples will be vital to continuing progress on the issue across the U.S., according to multiple sources interviewed for this article. To that end, groups such as Freedom to Marry and the American Civil Liberties Union have launched projects specifically aimed at spreading the conservative case for marriage equality.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said this week his son coming out as gay led him to reconsider his opposition to marriage equality. "I've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage that I've had for over 26 years," Portman told CNN. Portman is the first Republican in the Senate to announce his support for legal marriage for same-sex couples, a move applauded by Log Cabin Republicans and Freedom to Marry.

Republican party bosses in Illinois are set to meet to decide whether to fire their state chairman over remarks he made in support of pending marriage equality legislation. One state senator said the votes are there to fire Pat Brady, who contends he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the party when he expressed support for allowing same-sex couples to wed.

The effort to pass marriage equality legislation in Minnesota became bipartisan this week when Republican state Sen. Branden Petersen said he would become a co-sponsor. "It's awesome. I think it also allows a lot of space for other legislators to consider the same," said Sen. Scott Dibble, a Democrat and the openly gay lead sponsor of the bill. Other Republicans are reportedly considering a strategy in which they support civil unions but not marriage rights for same-sex couples.